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Breaking News – Ondansetron Causes Heart Problems

The popular and widely used drug for treating nausea and vomiting, especially those related to chemotherapy – Ondansetron, has been found to be injurious to the heart. The preparation involved is the 32mg intravenous dose. This news just came in within the last 24 hours with a warning from the US Food and Drug Administration FDA.

FDA warns that the nausea drug Ondansetron (Zofran) may cause QT prolongation after a single 32mg dose. Patients could therefore be at risk of developing tornadoes de pointes, a life-threatening arrhythmia. FDA further disclosed that the manufacturer is removing the single 32mg dose from its labels.

Ondansetron is widely used primarily for nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy agents used in the treatment of cancers. It is also used at lower dosages for treating nausea and vomiting that occur after surgery.

The drug is not completely withdrawn and patient could still be treated with much lower doses which FDA warns should not be more than 16mg at a single dose.

Further research is still going on in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Ondansetron.